30 minutes could change your performance

You may think you prepare enough, but do you have what it takes to perform with rock solid confidence when it counts? Cory empowers you with intense focus, courage, wisdom, and accountability you need to gain the performance results you desire.

A professional violinist, lecturer, and honorary doctor, Cory is chosen to coach the rising stars of today including performers at the New York Youth Symphony Audition Bootcamps, and even the leading professionals in top orchestras like the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera.

key benefits of coaching

• Become fearless on stage: Gain new techniques and strategies to power past anxiety for life changing experiences on stage.

• Achieve true confidence: Know how to execute at the highest technical and artistic level in any pressure situation.

see how liberated performer has changed lives

-CHARLES, THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL/TIME FOR THREE

"As a performer, battling stage fright should be implemented alongside any practice routine. Liberated Performer does just that and helped me understand my obstacles and comfort levels on stage to further enhance my performance."

-HYEJIN, NEW WORLD SYMPHONY

"I was skeptical and a bit scared to join to be honest because I would see pictures of participants doing activities I would have never imagined myself doing.

My coach gave a logical and simplified way of looking at the situation of performance anxiety and presented in such a way that was real. By the end of his orientation, I felt that the problem was definitely one to be addressed but not one that was impossible to overcome. I liked that my coach gave a concrete example of success and had an organized and tangible way to go about things.

Launching from this orientation, it was an immediate lifestyle. The program doesn’t advertise a verbose and scientific dissertation of what needs to be done-- it is not just talk. The program is more about the action, which is sometimes very much neglected in the learning methods of many things in life. The will to act is one that no one can deny the power of, yet for some reason, it is always prohibited with humanly excuses. Coach Cory took care of all that by friendly encouragement and punctual appointments. It didn't all happen with one huge crash and dive into the water, it took what Coach Cory calls “baby steps.” This is the best part of the program. Coach Cory personalizes the program for every individual because naturally everyone is at a different place of comfort when they join.

My first activity was to stand on a statue. The awareness of how self conscious I am just merely standing in front of people was a thrilling but shocking experience. I’m scared to even just be a standing person in this world? So what if I’m elevated? I walk these grounds daily. Noticing that people did not actually stare me down or find it completely strange that I was standing on top of a statue, I was able to come to peace with the idea of me being me in the world, one step closer to me being a performer on some sort of stage.

The true power of Liberated Performer was when I was given the opportunity to sit as concertmaster--who could imagine that a girl who felt that everyone around her would be a better candidate for this position for especially that concert, Stravinsky’s Petroushka, would actually sit in that seat and lead the orchestra? It was definitely a night I had dreamed of all my violin career life. As corny as that may sound, it was the truth. I had a small number of solos that really would be nothing under no pressure--just a bunch of scales up and down in one stable position (ha!) but for some reason even the simplest thing freaked me out. Coach Cory insisted, after I had been well involved in the program that I set up an outing with him right before the concert. After completing the activities he suggested, I felt a new feel of ease that I had never felt on stage before. It was one of recognition, I had just played these solos also in front of people only a couple minutes prior to the actual event. Recognition is a powerful and secure feeling I realized at that moment and this is why I can proudly and assuredly talk about this program as one that literally “speaks”--not only to the audiences involved throughout the activities but to myself. Liberated Performer will be part of my entire musical career."

-ALINA, THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL

"Liberated Performer helped me prepare for an audition after having been out of school for a year. For every practice session, I was able to have a goal in mind rather than playing things over and over in hopes that each time I would magically play better. By focusing on specific details and weaknesses in some of my practice sessions, I gained more confidence in my playing, having better control over the sound that I was producing through my instrument. Participating in this program also gave me accountability and support, which is crucial for recent graduates who are no longer having regular lessons and coachings."

“I would not have accomplished my performance goals without Liberated Performer. As a member for two years, I can proudly suggest this immense program to any other musician. During my performances, I began to share my personality through my music as I exuded confidence and comfort. Even today, I still complete activities. It enhances my confidence and keeps me sharp and grounded. I have the courage to be myself on stage and live my life more freely.”

-ANDREW,THE JUILLIARD PRE-COLLEGE DIVISION

-SARAH,YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

"I would definitely consider myself struggling with anxiety on a daily basis, not just in performances or auditions. This has always been an obstacle in my musician life, especially when I started to take professional auditions. When I am under stress and anxiety, my body will just shut down, I will be so overwhelmed by what I haven't done or what I am not able to do that I can't focus while practicing anymore. Even if I practice really hard, I am not able to bring it to a performance level during the actual audition because of stress. Liberated Performer has turned that around and helped me to learn more about myself, my anxiety, and what has been holding me back in performance mentally. I realized how powerful self talk is, and how powerful the negative and critical sound in my head can affect my confidence. I still remember that day playing at the campus of Columbia University with Coach Cory, that was my first time playing in front of hundreds of strangers on the street. I was so self conscious, it took me a while and a lot of courage to finally pick up my instrument and play. That experience had a tremendous effect on me, the feeling of facing your fear and letting go are key ingredients to a successful performance. It's the process of letting go and aiming to achieve your A game every time you pick up your instrument that brings you to the maximum level of playing even when you are under stress. Throughout the year, Cory has shared many key insights on performing which were extremely helpful for me to be able to focus on practicing and performing instead of letting the negative self talk taking control over my brain. I am so grateful to have experienced Liberated Performer."

-BRENDAN, MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC

“I joined Liberated Performer because I wanted to improve my performances. I could never execute the ideas I had in the practice room on stage. On many occasions, I merely tried to survive a performance. I have been a solid violin player through most of my life, but I have never been able to get through a Bach fugue for memory without skipping a whole section, or having to start from the beginning. I enrolled in the program to increase my performance skills, but mainly to handle this aspect. Coach Cory set up an organized plan to address this. After completing some of the customized activities, I was able to get through the fugue for the first time in my life, not in a practice room, but on stage at my graduation recital.”

-REINA, NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY

"Liberated Performer opened a door for me that I had closed and given up on a long time ago -- the path to finding a comfortable yet engaging technique in approaching performance anxiety and general musical stresses of all kinds. I was riddled with crippling anxiety on stage, no matter how I practiced or prepared. Though it is ultimately a very grueling process of battling the habits of the mind and body, throughout this process I came to finally associate pleasure, pride, a sense of gratefulness and success for each performance I had. It's easy to forget that we have to train our minds in situations under pressure and to not blame ourselves for "getting nervous" or "messing up". Liberated Performer makes this and more more than possible. Thank you Cory for opening a new chapter in my life and career!"

"From our first session, Liberated Performer combined theory with practice. As soon as Coach Cory and I had talked at length about strategies for learning new pieces and working them up to a performance level we immediately dove into the program. His approach is a perfect balance of pushing you out of your comfort zone while also taking time to reflect on and analyze the experience afterwards. Some other programs I had tried focused mainly on one's mental state leading up to a performance and while that certainly is part of Liberated Performer, Coach Cory also helps you develop consistency in your performing by helping you create a personalized practice system. This was a BIG step for me as previously I would just practice as much as I possibly could without taking time analyze how to make my practice more effective."